New Suffolk High Sheriff sets sights on youth reoffending rates
A new county high sheriff says she wants to support work to stop young people reoffending "because we can't just keep building more prisons".Gulshan Kayembe, from Felixstowe, has been made the High Sheriff of Suffolk for 2025/26.The role is a 12-month independent, non-political royal appointment.Ms Kayembe, who has a background in education, said: "When you look at who is in prison, especially men, significant numbers have been excluded from school - so what is it that we don't do to address the underlying needs?"
The title of High Sheriff dates back to Saxon times, with the holder responsible for law and order and collecting taxes.Nowadays, there are 55 High Sheriffs across England and Wales who support the judiciary, crime prevention agencies, emergency services and the voluntary sector.Ms Kayembe was formally sworn in during a ceremony at Ipswich Crown Court on 27 March, taking over the role from Yvonne Gilchrist-Mason OBE.Her work is supported by the Suffolk Community Foundation, which hosts the annual High Sheriff Awards.
'Community voice'
Latest government data shows that almost six out of 10 offenders jailed for less than a year go on to break the law again.Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk after her first month in post, Ms Kayembe said: "I have decades of experience in education which tells me there are groups of pupils who are more vulnerable when it comes to getting into bad company. "There are organisations in Suffolk that do wonderful work, and I'm interested to visit them, and bring that community voice together with the services. "So more decisions can be taken by being informed with what is being done on the ground by communities themselves, so we can focus more of our work and collaborate more effectively."
Hannah Bloom, chief executive of Suffolk Community Foundation, said: "Gulshan is well known to the foundation as a previous trustee and also in her role as chair of Ipswich Community Media."We look forward to working with her to help promote her theme of 'Equity through Prevention', which will focus on working collaboratively to prevent children and young people offending or leaving education."
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Criminal damage appeal at Churchstoke St Nicholas Church
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We live in a chocolate box village that dates back to the Saxons... Angela Rayner's house-building blitz will leave us drowning in sewage
Angela Rayner 's house-building blitz will leave them 'drowning in sewage' after a 40-home development was approved. Locals in Goodworth Clatford say their chocolate box village, which dates back to the Saxon times, faces being 'destroyed' by waste 'discharge horror' after developers were given the green light despite warnings it will overwhelm the sewage system. The village in the Hampshire countryside is already plagued with drainage and flooding issues and has had to take steps to prevent locals from having to wade through smelly sewage. But villagers say their problems will be 'exacerbated' now that developers Bargate Homes Ltd have had their plans approved, with fears Southern Water won't be able to add sufficient infrastructure. The developers submitted controversial plans to build 40 homes, some of which will be affordable housing, next to the local park. 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Due to the landscape, excess groundwater, and poor infrastructure, flooding is an issue in the village and tankers have to make constant trips to pump out water. 'The village has endured tankers at four or five locations, on a 24 hour basis for the last six months', one villager claimed. A wastewater treatment works site neighbours the village, but neighbours say it is not equipped enough to deal with their current issues let alone problems exacerbated by a new development. Cllr Philip Lashbrook, of Test Valley Borough Council, told the planning meeting: 'There is a huge reliance on Southern Water... I don't have confidence that the infrastructure will be improved enough to support 40 new homes.' Villager David Stagg attended the planning meeting with scores of other villagers. 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Telegraph
03-05-2025
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‘Rayner's house-building blitz will leave our village drowning in sewage'
Angela Rayner's house-building blitz will leave a picturesque village 'drowning in sewage', residents have claimed. Villagers in Goodworth Clatford, near Andover, Hants, fear a new 40-home development will 'overwhelm' its sewage system with 'discharge horrors'. They say the village, which dates back to Saxon times, and where house prices average £750,000, is already plagued by regular sewage overflows from 'inadequate' drainage infrastructure. The residents claim the new development was approved by Conservative-led Test Valley borough council in order to meet housing targets set by the Government. As Housing Secretary, Ms Rayner has announced plans to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years. The new Bargate Homes development was approved despite villagers lodging more than 130 objections. Built on a seven-acre field beside the local park, it will have a 'sustainable drainage system', according to the developers. The village's chalk landscape and poor infrastructure already cause regular flooding, with tankers being brought in to pump out water. Philip Lashbrook, a Conservative councillor who opposed the development, said: 'I don't have confidence that the infrastructure will be improved enough to support 40 new homes.' He was joined at the meeting where the plans were approved by scores of villagers. David Stagg, a retired management consultant, said the village had been 'thrown under a bus'. 'A recurring comment from the planners was that as there was no land matching the Government criteria of grey, brown or green belt sites in the area, 'we have to meet our target by building here',' he said. 'Well, has anyone been courageously assertive enough to tell them that such arbitrary targets are meaningless and have far-reaching consequences in such cases? Now who will be held accountable for destroying our village?' Katie Cairns, another villager, said sewage was 'a real worry'. 'The current provision [for sewage] is already inadequate,' she said. 'The existing pumping stations are noisy and smelly. 'We've also had tankers working in the village day and night for months this year, taking sewage to plants in Southampton and Newbury as the site [by Goodworth Clatford] is operating at full capacity.' Michael Goddard said: 'My property, along with those of my immediate neighbours, suffered badly earlier this year (and previous years) from the discharging of sewage water from drains and manholes in our gardens. 'This was due to high groundwater levels infiltrating an ageing, leaky, sewerage network. 'The nearby sewage pumping station was unable to cope so tankers were deployed almost full-time to try to minimise flooding.' Mr Goddard added: 'If the proposed development on Barrow Hill goes ahead with their sewage going into the existing sewage network, I dread to think what sewage discharge horrors await us folks at the bottom of the hill. Another objector, Chris Coates, said he was concerned about 'prevailing winds carrying any unpleasant odours right across the centre of the village'. Dr Christopher Parkinson-Brown, a dentist, added that the additional sewage will be 'far beyond the capacity of the drains and sewers in the village'. Goodworth Clatford parish council also opposed the plans, claiming in its objection letter that a Southern Water report acknowledged there was 'potential for existing villagers to suffer an adverse impact to their health given the potential for foul water flooding'. Test Valley council said permission was approved with conditions including 'providing an acceptable nitrate mitigation scheme, a habitat regulations assessment, and a legal agreement to secure affordable housing provision, open space improvements and health facility and education improvements'. Mark White, the managing director of Bargate Homes, said: 'We are delighted to receive outline planning approval for this site in Goodworth Clatford, a location steeped in character and surrounded by beautiful Hampshire countryside. 'This development will not only help to address the pressing need for affordable housing, but also create a sustainable community with access to local amenities, open green spaces, and strong transport links. 'Our vision is to deliver beautifully crafted homes that benefit both the residents and the environment, contributing to the local area for years to come.'
